Folding eyeglasses



March 20, 1928. v V C. R. LAUBSCHER FOLDING EYEGLASSES Filed Jan. 27; 1927 Qvwwntoz GABLES/E). LAUBSCf/EE.

Patented Mar. 20, 1928.

1t wite fieiaesses:

. pueetiommea emuarymyiezts SerialiNo.-164,042. v

' "This invention: relates 1 to :eyegla'sses and ihmantitulamto theisoeeelledloxfordtyper nlnnthe folding bype' of eyeglasses, r-comg monly 'iknovvn was I: then oxford. glasses, 1 ithe 6 lenses arezheldvinrsuitiable frafiles hich are; pivrrltrrlly associated? with "a I flexible bridge so that therlensesimay helheldin superposed relation:cyvhen:iEo-ldeol, Fthere beingx'provlded suitable i matching? [means (for; holding i the lensesnor rsp etacles icnivtheir ifoldedopositioni icflneoefthe fimportamtmbj'ects of linvenatching:

means. whereby [the glasses 1 may. be: retained in'itheir fdlde'dlpositioiiiso thatjars or shak ing movements given-lithe glasses'whenj in tion l'is Into nprovideu amlookingoor their-i foldeduposition:Will.ndt tend to release thei ilafichimgmeansrso that the i glasses will become unfolded; lthUlS causing ian annoyance to the person using :"the' lglasses by :reason; of

2c theini unfolding tin the-:- :pocket or ".313 i-times when-their uselis notdesired. i

f A :partieulah object-Jotmy-invention;1s' to.

provide gal. latching member and-a housing for the same; which will be provided. in; such a manner that protection will be afforded the imaterialwmaking up the glass l fra-me,

which; is wusually of1=Zy1di1ite =and= does not i resist Wear very readily. f a

vTo enableothers skilled-,ini-therart tofully 3o comprehend. the underlying-features of my invention that they ,inay: embody .the same in the. various modifications in structure and relation 3 contemplated, a' drawing: depicting a lpreferredzforrn-hasbeen annexeduas a part I 4 p 1 passed:thr0ugh thehandle piece 9=and which lshowedpionlthw front .side-=of "the 'gl'asses, thereby rendering the isame' unsightly Wind} .al'sopresenting an objection to its use-"by- I 5 of .ithis disclosureand in; such drawings,

singiilar hreference characters denote corre-w 40 eyeglasses as they would; appear 1 to, the personabout to place them-in position on the the handle :piece and is secured therein through the suitable rivet 12, the'ho0kitself ---'nose. V r v Figure 2,is .a rear view of theglasses 1n their folded position.

Eigure 3 is anienlarged, fragmentary view of the eyeglasses in their folded position, theyfoldingIneansbeing shown in the handle.

member and to format 'housing for the lateh. ilfleferri ng to the drawings in detaih fi in dicates' the lens frames which are inade of z-ylon'ite other celluloid-likematerial; which are {joined by the flexible bridgeo and carry the opposed nose en'gaging members Rjpposit'e sides "of the-' lens frame's 5 carny thej hohlv8 and the {handle p'iece' 9,"the latter of which i's formed integrally-With (the frame 5 :and 'isshaped to provide: a handle piece 10, through themedium ofiWhich the glasses may be gpos itioned upon the'nes'e ormay he h eld whem not in use,=*ther e being provided an opening 1 1 through the handls 7% piece ld tl'lrougli which may 'be passed'a-cord orizribbbn; wherebythe eyeglasses' may-he suspended from they neck of 1 the 'weare'r or otherwise attached to the clothing 'ofi the person. I Heretofore, thefliandle piece 9 'has been provided with an internal bore in"vv'hichle'a's been positioned air operating latch 22; which: engages the hook carried on the opposite frame member 5. ='-"'*Ihe= operation-" oi 1 this 30 I latch pines the core in the zylo'Ii-ite hasf increased the dialneter thereof due'to wear with the result that the hook w'as not held-' se-' curelyby the latch with the result-that any .of the"eyeglasses-totheirfull position as: 'shownizin Figure 11', and in' this latter :in-g

stance; i use 'wvasv made of a pinwhich was becoming loose-and allowing the hook 8 to us she easily released; The hook is provided in the opposite frame piece from that' carrying providing a.-notch'13 in its outer face and its point 14 being slightly spaced fromthe 9 of the zy lonite' frame. Heretoforefthis -hore 15 in the zylonite frame becameworn allowing the under notch 13' in the'hook' 8 to become readily detached from the latch and in order: to.provide :against thi-sg Iih'ave placed within .the l-handle piece, after suitably boring the same, the sleeve 16; Which' is made from a short pieceofwtubing out obliquely on one end as at 17 and provided 20, the opening 19 coinciding with a slot 21' cut in the zylonite handle piece 9, arranged to accommodate also the latch pin 20 above referred to, which is provided with an enlarged head which covers the slot 21 so that no unsightly appearance is presented- The latch pin 20 is secured in the latch; 22, the end of whichispointed as .at 23 and arranged --to engage the cut-out portion 13 of the hook 8 to retain the eyeglasses in theirfoldedposition, when the hook has passed through the opening 18 in the sleeve 17 and The latch is nor-- isengaged by the latch. mally urged outward by the spring 24: WhlCh bears 'against the bottom wall of the bore 25- provided in the handle piece 9 andinto which the sleeve 17 is forcibly fitted, the samebeing retained in position therein so that the obliquely cut end thereof will allow passa e of .the hook member therethrough and t rough the opening 18 in the slde of said sleeve.

With this arrangement, it will be evident that the hole 18 in the sleeve will prevent wear of the zylonite bore 15 by taking up any wear-of the hook and preventing enlargement of the hole 18, it of course being understood that the sleeve, is made of any suitable metal which maybe hardened, if desired, and which is so positioned in the zylonite handle piece 9 that it also allows sliding movement of the latch 22 without Wearing the zylonite bore.

-Heretofore this latch has been operated in a bore cut directly inthe zylonite with the result that continuous sliding of the latch caused wear to the zylonite. This objectionhas been overcome by the inclusion of the sleeve 17 which serves the double purpose of preventing wear of the bore accommodating the latch and also in the bore accommodatlng the end of the hook and against which the hook is pressed by reason of the action of the spring 24 against the latch member which is normally urged outwardly but which is limited in its movement by the latch pin 20.

It is evident that when the glasses are to be folded up, the frame, bearing the hook member 8 is drawn around against the action of the spring bridge 6 until the hook 8 passes into the opening provided by the overhanging portion 26 of the handle piece 9 and when the notched under side 13 of the hook 8 passes over the end of the latch 22, the hook is retained in position in the bore 15 of the handle piece and die to the action of the latch 22, the end 14.- of the hook is forced against the peripheral edge of theopening 18 in the sleeve 17 and is therebyforcibly held in locked'position until a movement of the latch pin 20 draws backthe latch 22 to release the hook 8 and allow the bridge 6 to open the glasses to the position shown in Figure 1.

It will be evident, therefore, that I have ,provided a new and improved feature in the oxford style of folding eyeglasses which contemplates the use of a metallic sleeve embedded in the projected portion of one of the lens holding frame members whereby the latchand hook used in maintaining the eyeglasses .in folded position, will not cause wear .to the relatively soft celluloid or zylonite,-as'used in eyeglass construction. 1

It; is evident also that I have provided an inexpensive. method of; reinforcing the handle piece and one. which will prevent the bores-therein that accommodate the holding members from becoming worn whereby slight jars or other movements ofa non-intentional character will not allow the glasses.

to open when not needed.

While I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particularity, I:realize that inipract-ice various alterations therein may be made. I therefore reserve the right and privilege of changing the form of the details of construction or otherwise altering the arrangement of the correlated parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is 1. Folding eyeglasses comprising lens holding frames, a handle piece on one of the frames having a plurality of bores therein, asleeve in one of said bores having an openmg therein arranged to coincide with the other, bore, a hook on the otherframe, the hook being arranged to extend through the opening in said sleeve and into the adjacent bore and a latch for retaining the hook in said opening.

2. Folding eyeglasses comprising lens holding frames, a handle piece on one of the frames having a hook receiving bore thereln, a sleeve in said handle piece having an opening therein arranged to coincide with said bore, a hook on the other frame, the hook being arranged to extend through the opening in said sleeve and into said bore and a latch in said sleeve for engaging the hook whereby the same is retained in the opening in said sleeve and in the bore of said handle piece, and said sleeve opening being disposed at the edge of and in alignment with said bore.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CHARLES R. LAUBSCHER. [n s] 

